Suggestions for weight loss?

Hey everyone!

5 years ago i used to be around 60kgs at 166cm. Then i decided to lose a bit of weight but went overboard for close to a year and became anoerexic and dropped to 45kgs (which is NOT healthy for my height). I lost my period and all my energy. But one day i got tired of it all and bounced back and ended up eating more calories than i had before and gained more weight than ever (67kgs) in a short amount of time.

Over the past couple of years, my eating habits have been stable, i eat enough to get me going through the day (i have a very active job and am on my feet most parts of the day). I'm currrently sitting at 64kgs.

I'm thinking of shedding some weight again (this time in a healthy way) for my self esteem. But i'm worried that I may have wrecked my metabolism from my Eating Disorder from previous years. Would anyone be able to suggest how i could lose weight without losing my energy like in previous years?

Thanks,
Clarrissa

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,292 Member
    small deficit of 250 cals/day (weight loss goal of 0.5lbs/week, 0.25kgs/week). larger deficits are more likely to make you feel tired and sluggish, and you don't have a lot to lose.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    edited November 2019
    .
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
    Honestly, at that weight/height (5'5 and 141 lbs, for the Imperial Measure group.) I'd consider just doing a recomp and eating the same number of calories and lifting weight to increase your metabolism by adding muscle. Maybe just start out by shifting your macros around by keeping protein high (like... 100g/day) with the same number of calories and add 2-3, 30-40 minute workouts a week. The workouts themselves will create the deficit and help improve your body composition for more visual appeal. This is not a *fast* solution, but it is fairly sustainable, assuming you don't mind lifting weights.
  • DannehBoyy
    DannehBoyy Posts: 546 Member
    Honestly, at that weight/height (5'5 and 141 lbs, for the Imperial Measure group.) I'd consider just doing a recomp and eating the same number of calories and lifting weight to increase your metabolism by adding muscle. Maybe just start out by shifting your macros around by keeping protein high (like... 100g/day) with the same number of calories and add 2-3, 30-40 minute workouts a week. The workouts themselves will create the deficit and help improve your body composition for more visual appeal. This is not a *fast* solution, but it is fairly sustainable, assuming you don't mind lifting weights.

    This ^^
  • Danicus10
    Danicus10 Posts: 31 Member
    Honestly, at that weight/height (5'5 and 141 lbs, for the Imperial Measure group.) I'd consider just doing a recomp and eating the same number of calories and lifting weight to increase your metabolism by adding muscle. Maybe just start out by shifting your macros around by keeping protein high (like... 100g/day) with the same number of calories and add 2-3, 30-40 minute workouts a week. The workouts themselves will create the deficit and help improve your body composition for more visual appeal. This is not a *fast* solution, but it is fairly sustainable, assuming you don't mind lifting weights.

    DOUBLE this ^^^ My wife is 5'5 and 143 and she just shifted the way shes eatting and started working out to tone and tighten up.
  • thanos5
    thanos5 Posts: 513 Member
    Hey everyone!

    5 years ago i used to be around 60kgs at 166cm. Then i decided to lose a bit of weight but went overboard for close to a year and became anoerexic and dropped to 45kgs (which is NOT healthy for my height). I lost my period and all my energy. But one day i got tired of it all and bounced back and ended up eating more calories than i had before and gained more weight than ever (67kgs) in a short amount of time.

    Over the past couple of years, my eating habits have been stable, i eat enough to get me going through the day (i have a very active job and am on my feet most parts of the day). I'm currrently sitting at 64kgs.

    I'm thinking of shedding some weight again (this time in a healthy way) for my self esteem. But i'm worried that I may have wrecked my metabolism from my Eating Disorder from previous years. Would anyone be able to suggest how i could lose weight without losing my energy like in previous years?

    Thanks,
    Clarrissa

    nah, your metabolism isn't wrecked.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Here is a recomp thread for you to read:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

    I am going to echo the others and say this is where you should start.

    There is a lot of patience, accuracy, and an acceptance that no matter how accurate a person is creating a 250 calorie deficit is hard because of the margin of error. Weeks will go by with weight being masked or with no progress because of the margin of error. That is often hard to deal with by people with no history of disordered eating.

    You may spend a lot of time recomping and eventually find that you want to lose a little weight. The benefit of recomping now is that you should have less to lose and hopefully you will be toned enough so that you can see when you need to stop.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    Honestly, at that weight/height (5'5 and 141 lbs, for the Imperial Measure group.) I'd consider just doing a recomp and eating the same number of calories and lifting weight to increase your metabolism by adding muscle. Maybe just start out by shifting your macros around by keeping protein high (like... 100g/day) with the same number of calories and add 2-3, 30-40 minute workouts a week. The workouts themselves will create the deficit and help improve your body composition for more visual appeal. This is not a *fast* solution, but it is fairly sustainable, assuming you don't mind lifting weights.

    Yup....
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    (OP is approximately 5’5” and 148 lb., for a BMI of 24.6.)

    You are within the optimal BMI range for your height. Especially because you have a history of ED, I would strongly encourage recomp instead of weight loss. If you feel very strongly about losing weight, then I would check in with your treatment team before attempting weight loss.

    THIS.
  • CalgaryMac
    CalgaryMac Posts: 19 Member
    I read a book years ago that suggested that we eat right for 6 days a week and for the seventh day allow yourself to eat what you normally would not. Knowing that I can eat something I crave one day a week helps me stay on track for the rest of the week. Chocolate cake in itself is not bad but the quantity that might be eaten is the problem.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    CalgaryMac wrote: »
    I read a book years ago that suggested that we eat right for 6 days a week and for the seventh day allow yourself to eat what you normally would not. Knowing that I can eat something I crave one day a week helps me stay on track for the rest of the week. Chocolate cake in itself is not bad but the quantity that might be eaten is the problem.

    If that seventh day takes you out of a calorie deficit for the week, then you will not lose weight. We see a lot of people who follow this philosophy, don’t track that one day per week, and then don’t understand why they aren’t losing. You can budget your calories to eat what you want when you want it, instead of saving all those things for one day per week.